"Parse Tree" <parsetree at hotmail.com> wrote in message news:d31%8.8024
> > So when 50% get the answer correct on a four part multiple choice
> question,
> > and if students just guessed at the answers they didn't know or
understand
> > (which is the worst case scenario), then (ignoring the standard error)
as
> > little as one third of them actually demonstrated a knowledge or
> > understanding of the question.
> >
> > Let's look at what happens if 90% got it correct. x = total guesses,
.25x
> =
> > correct guesses, .75x = incorrect guesses = 10 percent, x = 13.33
percent,
> > .25x = 3.33 percent = correct guesses, 90% got it correct - 3.33% got it
> > correct by guessing = 86.67% demonstrated a knowledge or understanding
of
> > the question.
>> How are you calculating the number of people that guessed? I would like
to
> see how this is possible, since I know it is not.
>>
Let's pretend that you really are asking a serious question, that you really
want to know, that this isn't intended to be a feminazi diversionary tactic,
that you really couldn't figure it out from prior posts, and that your
question deserves a serious answer.
If you're faced with a question that you have utterly no idea even what the
words mean, that couldn't be more confusing to you if it were written in
Greek (which the 0% correct response rate of American girls on many of the
non-multiple choice questions demonstrated was the case), and you have four
choices on a multiple choice question--what do you do?
Do you ask a neighbor? Do you call someone on your cell phone? Do you ask
God for the answer?
Or do you guess?
John Knight
ps--here's a hint: the only time that getting a 25% correct response rate
on a four choice multiple choice question would not represent 100% guesses
is when a majority answered the wrong question, which *might* be evidence
that they were taught the wrong thing instead.
